Get High The Homemade Way

Running reduces life down to its natural elements and puts me in tune with my body in a way few other exercise programs can match. When I first began running, I found out very quickly how I performed under physical stress and how much of it I could take. Running forced me to learn how to meditate and rise over pain.

When I first started training for a half marathon, it didn't take long to start defining my feelings of pain. I learned quickly how to determine the difference between real discomfort signaling a serious injury and stiffness that works itself out after the first few miles. I learned to acknowledge pain when it shows up, but more importantly how to keep breathing and to relax in the midst of its presence. I have become spiritually recharged as I've learned how to push myself beyond my prior limits without risking injury, and my body has taught me when to back off and give it a rest.

Now to get high! When I push past the first few miles in a run I'll usually start to feel "the runner's high." This is a chemical reaction that happens in the brain and body, often experienced by runners, where the physical exertion goes beyond pain and transforms into pure pleasure. It's hard to put into words, but you know when you get there because you can literally run for miles in a blissful state of motion and emotion.

On the right day, with the right music in my headphones and the "high" starting to surge, it can literally bring me to tears. This high is better than any buzz I've caught while drinking and doing drugs. Now I get a higher "high" for free every day, and the "high" lasts long after I've gone the distance.

Distance running isn't always a spiritual high, where you feel as if you are floating across the ground effortlessly like in some sort of lucid dream. Some days can be a brutal ass-kicking, where every step is a struggle between exhausting victory or honorable defeat. No matter how hard or easy it might seem on any given day, each run always challenges my mind and my body, leaving my spirit feeling at peace and restored to a sense of complete serenity.

I've learned that the lessons I master by running and the lessons I struggle with in life are the same. The key is to always keep moving forward and continue to endure. I won't make it to the finish line any other way. I feel empowered to be continually learning how to endure pain and keep moving toward my goal. 

On any given day I may love or hate the run I find myself on, but I always love the way that running makes me feel for the rest of the day. I know that being a runner makes me walk a little taller with a certain kind of confidence that doesn't come from anything else. Being a runner has made me strong of body and mind and will never lead me astray from a path to a healthier and happier life! 

Dave Trent